xviii, 264 pages, 10 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 25 cm
Other Title:
Soldiers, civilians, and the myth of the surge
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index
Contents:
Preface: "No shit, there we were": Salman Pak backstory Enter the "ghost riders": 2nd Platoon, B/3-61 CAV Citizenship and sacrifice: reflections on military service Life as a countdown: drinking, training, and otherwise getting by Doing more with less "These dudes are trying to kill us" Indispensable friends: Mark and the interpreters Breaking point: fear, loss, and defeat Sunni versus Shia: the anatomy of sectarian civil war Ushering in the "surge": farewell Mada'in, hello Baghdad Troop shortage, troop surge: good people, bad advice A night to remember Shouting at Lindsay Graham Staggering to the finish line: aftermath in a shattered platoon Disappointing paths: Iraq, seven years on War in the rearview: on life after Iraq Coda: the power of memory
